Jack Kerouac's Guide to Spontaneous Prose
Interestingly, Kerouac created a list of 30 essential guidelines to writing what he called “spontaneous prose.” Here are a few:
1) Scribbled secret notebooks, and wild typewritten pages, for yr own joy.
3) Try never get drunk outside yr own house.
(Clearly Kerouac couldn’t follow this one.)
4) Be in love with yr life.
6) Be crazy dumbsaint of the mind.
(I love this one. He invented the word “dumbsaint,” but I think I know what he meant.)
7) Blow as deep as you want to blow.
20) Believe in the holy contour of life.
(You know that’s a good one.)
29) You’re a Genius all the time.
(This one has its limitations, but it’s an encouraging sentiment when facing a blank page.)
Comments
I think it's brilliant. I mean, I agree that some of it has limitations, but this spontaneous prose means so much more to me than the rigid, pointless rules of the bloated English system. Following these guidelines resulted in the best piece I've ever written, a wild prose about some girls I was in love with.
Posted by: Douglas Patrick Donoughe | January 8, 2007 04:43 PM